Brightfield Microscopy Digital Image Gallery

Optic Nerve

Each optic nerve contains approximately one million nerve fibers, a number substantially lower than the more than one hundred million receptors that are located in the retina. Thus, it is generally assumed that a significant amount of information processing takes place within the retina, greatly decreasing the number of signals that must be transferred to the brain via the optic nerve. Yet, any damage to the optic nerve may be as detrimental to one’s sight as an injury to the retina. The extent to which loss of sight occurs in such instance does, however, depend upon the severity of the damage, as well as the precise location in which it occurs.